Mt Victoria Pass has been acknowledged as one of Australia's top 100 engineering feats by Engineers Australia.
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The Pass made the list for the book Wonders never cease; a book of 100 significant Australian engineering achievements to mark its centenary year.
Engineers Australia National president and chair Trish White said Wonders never cease is a celebration of Australia's rich engineering heritage.
"Engineers have taken often visionary ideas and turned them into practical realities, and the pages of this book highlight the combination of toil and genius which have shaped the Australia we live in today," Ms White said.
"The oldest engineering feat in these pages is an ancient stone system of weirs for fish and eel farming developed by the Gunditjmara people in south west Victoria over 6600 years ago. The most recent is the development of hypersonic scramjet engines that have the potential to slash international travel times."
Ms White said the stories were chosen from a vast collection of worthy contenders.
"We are grateful to our peak heritage body, Engineering Heritage Australia, for their painstaking work curating this collection," she said.
"A centenary is a time to take stock and, through Wonders never cease, we can look back and marvel at our Australian engineering accomplishments."
Other achievements featured in Wonders never cease include the Snow Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the black box flight recorder and WiFi.
History
In 1827 Governor Ralph Darling offered a reward for "any free person" to find a route to Bathurst that avoided the climbs around Mt York.
Several routes were considered, including Lockyers Road, which was partially built. Partway through its construction, and without the Governor's permission, Surveyor General Thomas moved the convict gangs to a new route that descended directly from Mount Victoria. This was to become Mt Victoria Pass.
Due to the adverse topography, the pass required significant engineering support. From its opening in 1832 until the end of the 19th century, Mt Victoria Pass was used by horse or bullock-drawn traffic. Ironically, early cars did not have the power to climb the steep pass and had to be hauled up by horse.
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